Animal-Human Disaster Interaction Working Group

UN Partnerships:

The Working Group Was Formed out of the World Conference on Disaster Reduction, WCDR, held in Kobe, Japan, January, 2005. Per agreement with the Director of the Secretariat of the International Strategy on Disaster Reduction, this working group is a partnership with ISDR and GDIN and is allowed to use the ISDR logo for that purpose

Coordinator

Larry Winter Roeder, Jr. Executive Director

Goals

Negotiate for practical disaster reduction reforms through UN structures, GDIN conferences and other fora. Identify ways to prevent the spread of diseases from animals to humans after a disaster. Identify ways to preserve animal stocks in order to protect local economies and cultures. Assess the monetary and non-monetary values of animal resources, collecting and managing relevant data, networking with government and international organizations. Further research into the ability of animals to provide early detection of certain kinds of crisis. Identify how animal recovery provides benefits for societies and the gaps that need to be closed, especially in national, local and UN planning. Enhance statistical work on animal relief in close cooperation with Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) and other data collection bodies, as well as government and international organizations to assure that that information is interoperable. This will be crucial when deciding on food sources after a disaster or to preserve a vulnerable agricultural economy or to coordinate response efforts, which will preserve animal companions and reduce the spread of disease and hunger. Develop best practices to protect rare animals covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), drawing on US Department of State experiences to facilitate the intervention of animal protection experts in the Iraq and Afghan conflicts.

Deliverables provided at GDIN2004, Washington, DC, March 26-29, 2004:

Report on results of research at the next GDIN conference in Davos, Switzerland, in August, 2006. Meeting of the working group held April, 11, 2005.

Initial Participants:

Larry Roeder, US Departemnt of State Dr. Robert Tanaka, US Department of Agriculture Dr. Dan Sosin, CDC, Atlanta Albert Simard, GDIN and Natural Resources, Canada Dr. Jakou Adler, Ministry of Health, State of Israel Col Clive Mantell, WSPA, Director of Disaster Relief Mariko Watari, individual from Japan Gerardo Huertas, WSPA Latin America Charles Kelly, CARE Dr. Marie Florit, ICR International, France Joanne Laurence, Emergency Management, Australia Katherine Mitchell, AUSAID Yoko Bonno, Individual Japan Dorie Munch, Danish Eergency Management Agency Hisayo Ohnishi, Individual, Japan Anna Cestori, Individual, Italy Antonella Scalso, Department of Italian Civil Protection Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction Ollie Davidson, Humane Society of the US Chester Gipson, APHIS

Reports and Links:

Food Security Interventions Lumsden, S and Naylor, E (in press). Cash-For-Work Programming. A Practical Guide. Oxfam GB. Oxford. Alidri, P, Doorn, Jv., El-Zoghbi, M, Houtart, M, Larson, D, Nagarajan, D, Tsilikounas, C. (2002), Introduction to Microfinance in Conflict-Affected Communities: A Training Programme. International Labour Organization and UNHCR. Catholic Relief Service (2002), Seed Vouchers and Fairs: A Manual for Seed-Based Agricultural Recovery in Africa (via Food Aid management website). Catholic Relief Services, in collaboration with Overseas Development Institute and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. (PDF file 1.03 MB) Catley, A, Blakeway, S and Leyland, T (2002). Community-Based Animal Healthcare. A Practical Guide to Improving Primary Veterinary Services. Intermediate Technology Development Group Publishing. London ISBN 1853394858 Powers, L (2002), Livestock Interventions: Important Principles for OFDA (255kb | pdf) (via USAID website). Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance, USAID. Washington. (PDF file 255 KB) Remington, T, Maroko, J, Walsh, S, Omanga, P and Charles, E (2002), Getting Off the Seeds-and-Tools Treadmill with CRS Seed Vouchers and Fairs. Disasters, 26(4),316-328. D'Vera Cohn, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, November 30, 2001; Page A16 U.S. Zoos Aid War-Ravaged Counterpart in Kabul Nagarajan, G (1999), Microfinance in Post-Conflict Situations: Towards Guiding Principles for Action (118kb | pdf). Joint ILO/UNHCR Technical Workshop: Microfinance in Post-Conflict Countries. 15-17 September, 1999. Johnson, D (1998), Distributing Seeds and Tools in Emergencies. Skills and Practice Series, Oxfam Publishing. Oxford. ISBN 0-85598-383-3